Shooting My Own

Maybe because I am constantly hunting them with my camera, or maybe because I didn’t have my game face on, but my ‘dad’ face on, for whatever reason, taking my kids out for photographs this past week was a daunting task. I have done ‘family’ portraiture like this hundreds of times before: planning ahead by scouting a location to get that perfect background, trying for that special pose, setting up an off camera flash that won’t get knocked down, and having my camera ready to capture the action.

So here you have it: snowfall near Tucson over the past weekend and I, along with multitudes of others, have to get out to take a few shots of the white flakes. The kids were eager to see the snow, not pose for pictures.

Within minutes of our arrival at Catalina State Park it began: my daughter’s shoes were white, water from the melting snow was coming down the trail – hiking further up the trail was out. My youngest son wanted to hike up the trail anyway and did so, splashing merrily through the puddles. My oldest didn’t care one way or another. After getting everyone back together, while holding a light stand, tripod, camera bag and light modifier, I finally settled on a decent area to grab a couple of shots. Who knows? Maybe the next year Christmas card was in the making!

In the end, I was not sure if any of pictures were keepers, (well, the kids are still keepers), but nonetheless, here are a few shots of the initial scene, and a few shots of what followed.

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Photography, Lessons Learned, and Cycling.

I have been taking pictures since I was about 6 years old. I started with a Kodak Instamatic. Just holding that Kodak was fun back then. Today, the camera badge may say "Nikon", but the fun of taking someone's photograph is still there.

Times have changed regarding photography over the past 20 years. My first business was in in Corpus Chirsti, Texas back in 1992. I went under the same name, my name, David Whitney French Photography. One of my favorite photo gigs was doing weddings. Why? Well, besides being a challenge at times, with the stress of getting the right shot in the age of film, everyone was happy! It was a happy time for the groom, bride, attendants, everyone. What more could I ask for? Hanging out, with a camera for a few hours or more with a bunch of happy people.